Books About the Philippines: My Current Favorites

By: Bob Boyer

 

Irecently had to recommend a list of books about the Philippines to a U.S. audience. I had very little time, so I decided that I would simply write down the titles that came immediately to mind. As I listed the titles, I jotted down my random thoughts about them. I was quite pleased with the results and decided to share them with you.

Here they are in alphabetical order. All the books are available on Amazon, and probably elsewhere, except for two of Nick Joaquin’s books as noted. I’ve listed the publication dates.

Lawrence Bergreen, Over the Edge of the World (2003) is about Magellan’s famous voyage, the first to circumnavigate the world. It’s a great adventure story of sailing and discovery. The author describes how Magellan landed on one of the eastern Visayan Islands in the early 1500s, how he first befriended the local Sultan and his people but later was killed in a foolhardy battle with them. His sailors brought the word of discovery back to Spain.

Robert H. Boyer, Sundays in Manila, With Sketches by June Potocar Dalisay (2010). The half dozen folks who have reviewed this book on Amazon have been kind enough to say that it provided a good introduction to the country, the people, and the culture. Notice I said “introduction.” Others have told me that it is one of the few general books available to someone who is not looking for books primarily about wars in the Philippines.

N.V.M. Gonzalez, The Bread of Salt and Other Stories (1998). Cultural fiction. Gonzalez and Nick Joaquin are the two immortals of modern Philippine literature. I taught the title short story, “The Bread of Salt,” in my introductory literature class for a number of years. It ranks in world literature with the stories of James Joyce, who I believe influenced Gonzalez. Of course, it is a coming of age story about a young Filipino rather than an Irishman.

Cristina Pantajo Hidalgo, Recuerdo (1996). Historical fiction. Hidalgo is one of the principal successors of Gonzalez and Joaquin in Philippine Literature. Here she traces more recent Philippine history through the female ancestors of a modern Filipina. It’s a list of heroic Filipinas. Especially memorable is the woman that faced down a revolutionary (a Katipunero) in the War of Independence against Spain (1896- 1899).

Nick Joaquin, Manila, My Manila (1990). A popular history of Manila for school children (upper grades) and great for readers of all ages. Joaquin feared that young Manileños were losing out on the rich history of their city. Joaquin is probably the pre-eminent literary figure of the country. Unfortunately two of his best fiction works are currently out of print, Cave and Shadows (1983, 2003) and Tropical Gothic (2003). The latter includes “The Legend of the Dying Woman,” a gothic tale to rival Hawthorne or Poe.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, The Bully Pulpit (2013). While the book is about the presidencies of Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft who succeeded him, it includes a sizable treatment of Taft’s time as the first U.S. Governor-General of the Philippines. The years Taft spent in the Philippines were a time of great satisfaction for him. Taft became highly esteemed by the Filipinos who had been fighting the Americans for three years (1899-1903) when Taft arrived. He restrained the U.S. Army and treated Filipinos with kindness and respect. Taft Avenue remains the name of a major Manila thoroughfare.

Benito J. Legarda, Occupation ’42 (2003). Excellent on Japanese treatment of Filipinos during the occupation (1942-1945). Highly detailed. Legarda makes a strong case that the Philippines should press Japan to apologize formally for war atrocities.

Hampton Sides, Ghost Soldiers (2001). About the daring and successful rescue of American POW survivors of Bataan and Corregidor (1942-1945) behind Japanese lines.

Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicron (2009). Fiction with historical interpretation, particularly very funny satirical passages about General Douglas MacArthur. You have to dig for them, but the search is well worth it. Happy Reading and Happy Independence Day on June 12.

Contact Bob Boyer at <robert.boyer@snc.edu> or www.anamericaninmanila.com/.